California girl critical after being shot in neck

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- An 8-year-old Northern California girl was in critical condition after a stray bullet struck her in the neck while she was playing on her front porch with her younger brother, authorities said Saturday.

The girl and her 7-year-old sibling were outside their east Oakland home Friday night when two men got out of car and fired more than 10 rounds in the area before driving off, Oakland police said.

The girl was rushed into emergency surgery at a children's hospital. Her younger brother was not harmed.

A man in his late 40s also was shot in the leg and hospitalized in critical condition, Lt. Freddie Hamilton said. Investigators are looking whether the man, who was on the sidewalk near the children's home but does not live there, was the intended target. The victims' names have not been released.

The Oakland Tribune reports the girl's 9th birthday is Sunday.

No arrests have been made, and police do not have a good description of the shooters, Capt. Steven Tull said Saturday.

“We have very little information to go on. Hopefully somebody comes forward,” Tull said. “We're using a lot of resources due to the nature of the incident. This is something we definitely need the community's help with.”

Celestine Robinson, a neighbor who's raising her 1-year-old grandson, told KTVU-TV on Friday that she's concerned for the safety of many children in the area.

“It's horrible what happened. It's very troubling to hear that another young child has been hurt due to gunfire in Oakland _ it's really upsetting,” Robinson said.

Friday's shooting in Oakland conjures memories of 8-year-old Alaysha Carradine, who was shot and killed when she answered the door during a sleepover at a friend's apartment last July.

Last month, Alameda County prosecutors said they will seek the death penalty against Darnell Williams, 23, of Oakland, who has pleaded not guilty to murder in Alaysha's death and three counts of attempted murder.

Williams' attorney, Deborah Levy, told reporters that she was disappointed with the prosecutors' decision.

Authorities allege Williams and another suspect, Joe Carroll, 27, of Oakland, started shooting as soon as the girl and another child opened the door. A 7-year-old girl, a 4-year-old boy and a 64-year-old woman were wounded.

Police say the suspects went to the apartment to seek retribution against someone who lived there for a gang-related killing in the neighboring city of Berkeley.